Stand-up file guides



STAND-UP FILE GUIDES Filed April 13, 1964 @Awww United States Patent O 3,366,119 STAND-UP FILE GUIDES Mark UConnor, Baldwin, N.Y., assigner to N. B. Jackets Corp., Long Island City, N.Y., a corporation of New York Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 205,251, .lune 26, 1962. This application Apr. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 359,024

1 Claim. (Cl. 129-16) This invention-relates to a le structure and guide assembly, and more particularly to guides adapted to remain upright or at a predetermined angle in a file structure or tray. This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 205,251, iiled .Tune 26, 196,2, now Patent No. 3,244,178.

In the above-identied copending application, there is described a file structure and guide assembly which lends itself to more eflicient filing operations, wherein the guides may be secured to supporting rods and shifted axially therealong without removal of the rods from the tile tray. The guides are so formed as to clamp frictionally on the rods, whereby the guides remain at a predetermined angle and are spaced With respect to each other to create pockets therebetween, Without the need for a follow-up block or other supporting means, as in conventional lile systems.

In the guides disclosed in said copending application, the guide is in the form of a transparent jacket to accommodate an identifying sheet or card, the bottom of the guide being provided with a rib-reinforced border lhaving two keyhole slots producing a clamping action. Because of this arrangement, it becomes possible to latch the guide onto a pair of rails and to push the guide therealong until it occupies a desired position creating a pocket with respect to the adjacent guide. However, even though the guide may be so shifted it will, because of the clamping action, remain erect.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide improved stand-up guides of simplified design, which are adapted to clamp onto rails and to remain erect, even though the guides are shiftable thereon.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a guide structure which is adapted to function as a transparent jacket of flexible material for receiving an identifying card or the like, the guide having a foldedover border into which the keyhole slots are punched, the folded border being constituted by two plies which tend to separate angularly with respect to the fold-line and thereby to lock the guide onto the supporting rails.

For a better understanding of the invention, as well as other objects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following detailed description to be read in conjunction with the accompaying drawings, wherein:

FIG. l is a perspective view of a tray and guide assembly in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a guide in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a transverse section taken through lines 2-2 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 shows the manner in which the guide clamps onto a rail.

Referring now to FIG, 1, the file tray and guide assembly in accordance with the invention comprises a rectangular tray having front and rear walls 11 and 12. Supported between the front and rear walls are a pair of spacer rods 13 and 14 in parallel relation, the rods being raised somewhat above the bottom panel 15 of the tray. The rods may be an integral part of the tray or removable therefrom.

Reived on the rods, which constitute a rail track, are a plurality of guides G, the guides clamping onto the track standing up at a desired angle or vertically, without any additional support, and dening pocket areas 16 in the spaces therebetween.

Insertable into these pockets are documents such as bank checks. These checks rest on the rails, hence they are elevated relative to the bottom panel of the tray and may be scooped out without ditiiculty by placing the fingers beneath the checks in the pocket. Unlike conventional le arrangements, the guides G are self-supporting and there is no need for hangers to hold the guides, or a follow-up block to prevent the guides from collapsing on the rails when all of the checks are removed. Thus the guides maintain their assigned positions and the dimensions of the pockets therebetween are likewise maintained.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3 showing one of the guides, each guide is constituted by a single rectangular panel 17 of flexible, transparent thermoplastic material, such as cellulose acetate or Mylar whose top edge is folded over to form an upper back liap 18, and whose bottom edge is folded over to form a lower back flap 19. The fold-over operation is carried out by heat and pressure, whereby the fold is made after the material is softened, and when the material again cools, the fold is permanently set.

Die-cut into the lower border of the guide and penetrating both the panel 17 and lower ap 19, are keyhole slots 20 and 21 which are spaced to occupy positions corresponding to the spacing between rails 13 and 14. The circular diameter of the keyholes substantially matches the diameter of the rails, and since the guides are of flexible material, the guides may be snapped on and off the rail.

Cut into the front panel 17 adjacent the fold-line F of the bottom fiat and positioned between the keyhole slots 20 and 21, is a mustache-shaped slit 22 which forms a llexible tongue 23. This tongue, when flexed inwardly as shown in FIG. 3, serves as a ledge to hold the bottom edge of a card 24 inserted between the flaps. Card 24 may be in the form of a signature card or any other identifying material, the card being received between the two back aps 18 and 19 and being viewable through the front panel 17.

The important aspect of the guides of the invention resides in the means by which the guides maintain themselves on the rails without skewing. It will be seen in FIG, 4, that the lower flap 19 tends to liex outwardly relative to the front panel 17, the flap pivoting on fold-line F. Since the keyhole slot 20 has a component 20a cut in the panel 17 and a matching component Zlib in the flap 19, a triangular clamping action results, in which F is the apex, rail 14 the base, panel 17 one side, and flap 19, the other side. Flap 19 is resiliently biased against rail 14 and serves to resist displacement of the guide. The guides are thereby snugly attached and clamped to the rails and stand at the desired angle without further support. On the other hand, when desired, the guides may be shifted axially along the rails, for when pressure is applied transversely to the guides in the area of the keyholes, the guides may be shifted to any desired position.

As many as a hundred guides may be placed within a standard-size tray, the guides snapping quickly into place to dene the desired pocket areas.

While the guides disclosed herein are in the form in Which the triangular clamp is constituted by a front panel and a flap, similar effects may be obtained where the two back flaps are joined together to form a jacket or sleeve, for the rear panel tends to iiex outwardly in the areas adjacent the fold lines.

While there has been shown a preferred embodiment of stand-up file guides in accordance with the invention, it will be appreciated that many changes and modifications 3 may be made therein without, however, departing from the essential spirit of the invention as defined in the annexed claim.

What is claimed is: 1. A le structure and guide assembly comprising: (A) a file structure having a pair of parallel straight rails, and (B) a plurality of self-supporting guides on said rails which are adjustable axially therealong to occupy spaced positions which divide the structure into pockets for receiving documents standing on the rails between successive guides, each guide being adapted to support a card insert for identifying the documents in the adjacent pocket and being formed of exible thermoplastic material, each guide being constituted by,

(a) a rectangular panel provided with a lower folded-over border formed by a flap and a corresponding portion of the panel,

(b) said ap and said corresponding portion having keyhole slots therein clamping onto and frictionally engaging said rails,

(c) said folded-over lower border being permanently set in said thermoplastic material to impart to said ap a tendency to separate angularly with respect to the panel and thereby lock said guides onto said rails,

(d) said panel having a olded-over top border providing a flap to receive in conjunction with the flap on the lower border said card insert, and

(e) said panel having a slit therein forming a exible tongue to form a ledge to retain the bottom edge of said card insert.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 28,713 5/1898 Hills.

763,704 6/ 1904 Walker 129-16 1,338,789 5/1920 Rand 129-16.7 1,922,736 8/1933 Johnston et al. L29-16.7 2,060,146 11/1936 Voorhees.

2,260,407 10/ 1941 Schade 129-1 2,284,586 5/ 1942 McDermott. 2,941,703 6/ 1960 Abramowitz.

FOREIGN PATENTS 929,300 7/ 1947 France. 838,933 6/1960 Great Britain.

25 JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FILE STRUCTURE AND GUIDE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: (A) A FILE STRUCTURE HAVING A PAIR OF PARALLEL STRAIGHT RAILS, AND (B) A PLURALITY OF SELF-SUPPORTING GUIDES ON SAID RAILS WHICH ARE ADJUSTABLE AXIALLY THEREALONG TO OCCUPY SPACED POSITIONS WHICH DIVIDE THE STRUCTURE INTO POCKETS FOR RECEIVING DOCUMENTS STANDING ON THE RAILS BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE GUIDES, EACH GUIDE BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A CARD INSERT FOR IDENTIFYING THE DOCUMENTS IN THE ADJACENT POCKET AND BEING FORMED OF FLEXIBLE THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL, EACH GUIDE BEING CONSTITUTED BY, (A) A RECTANGULAR PANEL PROVIDED WITH A LOWER FOLDED-OVER BORDER FORMED BY A FLAP AND A CORRESPONDING PORTION OF THE PANEL, (B) SAID FLAP AND SAID CORRESPONDING PORTION HAVING KEYHOLE SLOTS THEREIN CLAMPING ONTO AND FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING SAID RAILS, (C) SAID FOLDED-OVER LOWER BORDER BEING PERMANENTLY SET IN SAID THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL TO IMPART TO SAID FLAP A TENDENCY TO SEPARATE ANGU- 